One Simple Request
by imawordbender
Summary: All because of one simple request, Percy's whole world has been ripped from him. He hasn't been seen by anyone at Camp Half Blood in three years, and no one, not even Percy, knows what truly happened. Or do they? Will Annabeth get to the bottom of everything before it's too late? Where has Percy been? Who's he working for? Mystery, adventure, and romance! Read on! Post-TLO, no HoO.
1. Chapter 1

**One Simple Request  
**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

...

**_-Three years ago-_**

Oceanus held his trident to Poseidon's throat. "Yield."

"Never. Atlantis is mine. You will not rule the seas again." Poseidon disappeared and immediately reappeared, his trident locked with Oceanus'.

"Oh Poseidon, always so stubborn and quick to assume. As the mortals say, we all know what happens when you assume..."

"What are you talking about?" Poseidon grunted as he pushed against the titan's weapon, creating some space between them. They kept their tridents lowered as they circled each other in the murky salt water.

"You gods are so self-important and impatient. I'll have my domain back soon. However, my agenda today is a little different than our regular territorial dispute." Oceanus held up his hand. Water began to swirl above his fingers until a smooth globe of water formed, like a crystal ball. "I've distracted you long enough to get a hold of your one and only mortal child."

Poseidon's eyes widened as he looked at the image inside the sphere of water. It showed Percy swimming deep in the ocean, on his way to Atlantis.

"Did you forget? He was going to meet you at your palace today, but I guess the rest of your evening is about to open up." As Oceanus spoke, twelve mermen appeared in the image, surrounding Percy with their weapons pressed into his iron skin. Three of the mermen had their tridents at the small of Percy's back, so he couldn't move without the risk of being skewered. Already his face was contorting in pain as they grazed his Achilles spot.

"What do you want, Oceanus?" The gods of the seas spat the name like a curse.

"Oh nothing too difficult, Poseidon," the titan spat back. "Just one simple request."

...

* * *

...

_**-Present day-**_

Annabeth's watched beeped as she left the Big House. Midnight. Three years. It had been three years ago, tonight. She sighed as she crossed the empty dining pavilion and quickly wiped the pain from her face before she lightly stepped onto the porch of the Athena cabin. She heard a couple soft snores as she opened the door. She walked to her bunk and stifled a gasp as she realized Malcolm was sitting on her bed.

"Geez, Malcolm, you scared the crap out of me!" Annabeth whispered furiously, putting a hand over her heart.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, just wanted to wait up for you. It's tonight, isn't it?"

Annabeth studied the floor intently. "Yeah, three years," she said softly.

"Well, you know how good we Athena kids are with emotions, but still, I'm here for you if you need to talk, okay?"

"Thanks. I really am okay though. I mean, it's still sad to think about, but I've been working at moving on, for real this time. I haven't gone to look for him in months. I know you guys have said it before, especially Chiron: it's time to let go." Annabeth sat on the bunk beside Malcolm and started to push back her cuticles with her thumbnail. "Even though Nico can't find him in the Underworld, he's still gone. Maybe Nico missed him and he immediately opted for rebirth. Maybe I'll see him in Elysium one day. Either way, it's time to stop living in the past." Annabeth smiled at her brother with sad, resigned eyes.

He mirrored her face as he patted her back gently. "I'm glad to hear it, sis. And the offer to talk is always there."

"Thanks Malc."

Annabeth took off her shoes as Malcolm padded over to his own bunk. After she was ready for bed, she lay on top of her covers, staring at the slats of the bed above her, where she had carved a rough A when she was nine. Why couldn't he just waltz back into camp one day? Maybe if they finally had a real funeral for him, then he'd barge in, right before the end, just like last time. Still, she couldn't spend her whole life this way. If some new clue came up, then she'd happily follow the trail, but she'd already spent too many lonely nights on desperate, dead end leads. It was time for her to let Percy go.

_Seaweed Brain, I hope you're alive...and okay._

...

* * *

...

He cursed the water. The rain splashed off the asphalt, drumming a staccato on the reeking dumpsters. The young man walked slowly through the river forming between the buildings as water poured down the brick walls and into the dark alleyway. He couldn't remember ever seeing rain this torrential in all of his nineteen years. Like someone was trying to drown the world. Or him. He pulled his hood further around his face as he shivered. His shirt, his hoodie, his leather jacket, and his jeans were all sopping wet and freezing. April, in New York, in the middle of the night, was no time to be caught in a thunderstorm. He sighed as he brushed his dark, dripping hair out of his eyes for the umpteenth time.

Someone or something slammed into one of the dumpsters behind him. He hadn't been worried about being followed in this storm, but maybe one of the more tenacious monsters decided to keep chasing him, despite the weather. He could just make out the outline of a large, humanoid figure down the alley. He figured it was probably a cyclops, larger than Tyson, since they had an affinity for water and wouldn't mind the rain, unlike him, he thought bitterly.

He slowed his steps to let the cyclops get close, reached into his pocket, and uncapped a bronze pen. The three-foot sword that sprang from the pen shone softly, reflecting off the wet pavement. Once the monster was in range, he whipped around and sprang silently towards the lumbering cyclops with a fatal, downward strike to the neck. The cyclops howled in pain as he burst into dust. The unrelenting storm drowned out the noise.

He sighed and shivered again.

_Well, that didn't last long... At least I'm not invincible anymore, so there was a _little_ danger. I guess._

He rolled his eyes at his rationalizing. Who was he kidding? He could've fought that guy in his sleep. It wasn't boastful, it was just true. He had always been a little daring, a risk taker. But now, he sought it out. The more danger the better; it was the only way he still felt alive. For that one fleeting moment of uncertainty, the possibility of death, was the only way he could still feel human.

He heard the clock on a bell tower strike midnight. He chuckled darkly to himself. It was this very night, three years ago, that his whole world came crashing down.

...

* * *

**_Stay tuned to find out more! Thank you so much for reading! Reviews and PMs are deeply appreciated!_**

**_Much love,_**

**_imawordbender_**


	2. Chapter 2

**One Simple Request**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

...

**_-Three years ago-_**

Percy dove under the waves just off the beach at Camp Half Blood. As he dolphin-kicked deeper into the chilly North Atlantic waters, he thought about how awesome the last few months had been.

He and Annabeth started dating back in August, after the Battle of Manhattan; nothing crazy had happened to Camp Half-Blood (yet); he had managed to stay at Goode all year (so far); and now, Tyson just IMed him to say that Poseidon wanted to see him in Atlantis. He hadn't seen his dad since all the craziness last summer, so Poseidon must have finished rebuilding his palace, and Percy was pumped to finally see the place in all of its original glory.

He shot through the water like a bullet, manipulating the currents to get him there as fast as possible since his mom would have his hide if he weren't home in time for dinner.

All of the sudden, twelve mermen, with blue skin and glowing, green eyes, swam up alongside Percy. He grinned and waved at them.

"Hey guys! Did Dad send you? He knows I know how to get ther—"

The mermen pulled up and surrounded Percy in a heartbeat, pressing their tridents into his unbreakable skin.

Percy furrowed his brow. "Guys? What's going on?"

Then he gasped and grimaced as three of the tridents grazed his Achilles spot. "What the crap?" he seethed through gritted teeth.

The mermen said nothing for several minutes, but kept their weapons pressed against him. His jaw tightened as he tried to control his anger and not move at the same time, a difficult task on both fronts for a son of Poseidon.

Then Percy felt something so odd he almost jumped in surprise, but remembered the weapons pointed at him at the last moment. What was that feeling? He knew it was familiar. Then it hit him. He was wet. In the ocean. Since when did that ever happen without him allowing it? The cold water was freezing and he could not get away from it. He started shivering all over.

A burning sensation began in his chest. A confused looked crossed his face and then he started panicking, sharp weapons or not. He couldn't breathe. His lungs were full of stinging salt water and he started kicking like a maniac to get towards the surface. The pressure of the ocean pushed at him from all sides. His chest was being pushed in and his eyes darted around as he flailed, knocking back a couple of mermen with his wild kicking.

He felt pain, and saw red in the water all around him, or maybe he just couldn't see. Bursts of light were obscuring his vision as his brain screamed for oxygen. He kept kicking upwards, at least he hoped it was up; he had no bearings or sense of direction. He was getting so sleepy, maybe he could just go to sleep, and everything would be okay.

He stopped struggling for the surface.

Right before he passed out, Percy was vaguely aware of something akin to a freight train slamming into him. Excruciating pain erupted across his forearm and torso. He felt the water whooshing past him at an alarming rate, and the pressure was getting worse again. He closed his eyes and quickly succumbed to the darkness.

...

* * *

...

**_-Present day-_**

Annabeth woke up with the sun, as she did everyday at camp. She looked over at the still-sleeping form of her brother across the cabin, and smiled, remembering their conversation from last night. She swung her legs to the floor and went to the bathroom to wash her face and get dressed in her typical orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt and khaki shorts. She threw her hair into a quick ponytail and grabbed her laptop bag on the way out the door. She'd asked to have a planning meeting with Chiron after breakfast. The summer campers would be here in less than a month and Annabeth wanted to be sure everything was ready in plenty of time.

She made her way to the dining pavilion and ate a quick breakfast at the Athena table before heading up to the Big House.

She looked out over the strawberries fields, covered in tiny white blossoms and bright green strawberries. She could she the dust motes floating in the streams of sunlight that were breaking through the trees at a severe, early morning angle. She loved this. She loved everything about this place. The quiet in the morning before anyone else was up. The dirt path, beaten down from countless feet making the trip up to the Big House. The worn, blue siding on the house. The weathered wood across the front porch. The white bench-swing just waiting for new campers to come, and sit, and take in their new reality. She wanted camp to always be just like this.

She knocked on the door and after a moment, Chiron opened it in his full centaur form.

"Trying to make plans even earlier this year, Annabeth?"

"Chiron, you know how much fun everyone has when we have more planned activities and how important it is to go over all of the contingencies in case there are any emergencies."

Chiron sighed as he stepped back to let her in. "If it makes you feel better, then fine, we can go over whatever plans you came up with for this year."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes and then smiled as she walked past the centaur. "Thank you for humoring me, _sir_."

"Anytime, Annabeth, anytime." Chiron chuckled. "I swear you get snarkier by the day, though."

She ignored him and pulled out her laptop. "Okay, so I drew up a new obstacle course that combines several elemen–" Annabeth stopped at the sound of someone yelling outside.

"Out of my way, Deathbreath! I'm going to tell them."

"In your dreams, Pinecone face! I saw it first!"

"Then how come I have it in _my_ pocket? Hm?"

"Because you stole it from me!"

Chiron and Annabeth just looked at each other and laughed as they heard Nico di Angelo and Thalia Grace stomp up the Big House steps.

"CHIRON!" Nico and Thalia both yelled, each trying to shout louder than the other.

Chiron walked back to the front door with Annabeth on his heels (or hooves, as it were). Chiron opened the door to reveal the two demigods. Nico's dark hair hung just above his bony black-clad shoulders and he stood at least a foot taller than Thalia, who looked the same as ever in her silver Hunter's jacket and spiky black hair. Today, her t-shirt showed a picture of a fish on a bicycle. Annabeth chuckled quietly at the reference.

The centaur folded his arms as he looked down at the two children of the Big Three. "What is this time, you two? And why are you here so early this morning? Though, I should think that the answers to those two questions are probably one and the same."

"I ran here as fast as I could," Thalia blurted out.

"And ran right into the path of my shadow traveling." Nico glared at Thalia.

They both looked to Chiron for support and then noticed Annabeth for the first time. They looked around nervously, their shouting match forgotten. They spoke in unison again. "We found something."

Chiron's eyes grew wide and Annabeth gasped. They both knew exactly to what, or rather, to whom the two demigods were referring.

...

* * *

...

Percy rubbed his face with his hands and stood, stretching to get the kink out of his back. His clothes were still damp, especially his black leather jacket, but if today was going to be as sunny as it looked, they would all dry out most of the way before nightfall. Knowing his luck though, it would rain again later on. He wasn't sure if his black boots would ever get dry. The only things 'April showers' ever brought him were cold, sleepless nights.

He ran his hand through his short, dark hair, straightened his blue t-shirt, and walked out from behind a rusty, silver dumpster. He headed down the alley, towards the road, to get his bearings. Out on the road, he realized he was only a few blocks from his old apartment building. Or what was left of it. These days, it was just a charred shell that hadn't been bulldozed yet. If only his old apartment were still there, he could change his clothes and get a hot shower.

_What the Hades is wrong with me? That's the first reason that comes to mind for why I wish that building hadn't burned down?_

He stopped his thoughts before they could take him to an even darker place. He'd cauterized that wound a long time ago. No sense in opening it up now. He laughed to himself again; it takes fire to cauterize something.

Percy put his hand in the empty pocket of his jeans and his eyes grew wide.

_Oh gods._

Where was it? Had he lost Riptide again? It was only by the most ridiculous stroke of luck that he had found it last time. He ran back to the dumpster where he had slept, checking every smelly nook and cranny for his pen. He triple- and quadruple-checked every pocket on his clothing. He turned down another corner to the brick-lined alleyway where he had killed the monster.

_Okay, I killed the cyclops about here, wandered around the corner to find a spot to sleep, and that was it. Seriously? Could it have really just fallen out of my pocket? How appropriate. _He rolled his eyes. _Knowing my luck, it probably got washed into the sewer system._

He paced back and forth. This certainly was a pleasant morning. He was in the city he hated, too close to bad memories, he hadn't gotten much sleep, his clothes were still damp, and now his sword was missing.

Maybe it had fallen out of his pocket while he slept and someone grabbed it. An idea occurred to him to see if he could figure out who, if anyone, might have been snooping around where he had been sleeping. It might be a long shot, but he was so close, he had to try. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled as loud as he could. He probably stopped every cab within a three block radius. He waited, looked around for a minute or two, and then frowned. Maybe she wasn't even nearby to begin with.

He started slowly walking the six blocks to Central Park, towards the reason he came to this gods-forsaken city in the first place. His task here was checking on the tree of Hyperion. He had to walk down a number of different paths before he could remember exactly where the battle occurred and where the maple was supposed to be. He barely remembered the person he had been in that battle, everything about the old Percy was so foreign to him now, except maybe sarcasm.

He finally spotted the tree, with it's huge, twisting trunk and golden leaves. Everything seemed normal with the tree, nothing out of the ordinary. He had no idea why he had been sent on this assignment in the first place, but either way he would have to head back to his campsite to report, unless he saw a rainbow somewhere before then.

Suddenly a deep, black shadow started forming in the shade of the tree. The earth shook as a huge hellhound appeared and leapt toward him, tackling him to the ground and licking every bare inch of his face. The ground continued to shake as Mrs. O'Leary's tail thwacked the sidewalk repeatedly.

"Hey, girl." Percy scratched the side of her chin. "Hey, yeah, it's me. Don't get carried away. Geez, I'm all slobbery now. Okay, yes. It's good to see you too." Percy chuckled, stood up, and hugged one of Mrs. Leary's front legs. Mrs. O'Leary stopped licking him, but her tail continued to thump away happily.

"Okay girl, here's the deal. I need your help. I think someone might have taken Riptide. I'll show you where to smell, and we'll see if you can sense that anyone was there, maybe find a clue as to which way they went, okay?"

The hellhound looked excited and her tail thumped even faster. The pair walked through the mostly empty, early morning streets, back to where Percy slept the night before.

"See if you smell anything, besides me, that was here. Maybe something familiar? I hope it's not in the sewers. Could you smell my sword? Does celestial bronze even have a smell...?"

As Percy rambled on, Mrs. O'Leary barked loudly.

"Wow, that was fast."

She looked at Percy and leaned her head low to the ground.

"You want me to climb on?" He asked as he climbed onto her back. As soon as Percy grabbed two handfuls of thick, black fur, Mrs. O'Leary leapt into the shadow of the building and the darkness squeezed around them.

When the world stopped spinning and Percy made sure the contents of his stomach were settled, he slid off of the hellhound's back. He looked around and his face fell instantly.

"Oh no. No. I can't be here. This is no place for someone like me. Did you even smell anything back there, you big, dumb dog? Or did you just take upon yourself to bring me back to the last place in the world I want to be?" Percy's voice was growing louder as he threw his hands in the air. Mrs. O'Leary hung her head in confusion and shame and whined. Percy turned to face her and put a hand on her nose.

"I'm sorry, girl. I shouldn't have started yelling. You didn't know. But I really can't be here. We need to leave now. Like, right now. Can you take me somewhere else? Or even just head into the woods? We are too exposed here. What if someone saw me? Ugh, come on!" He tried to push Mrs. O'Leary towards the woods.

A tremor shook the ground as Mrs. O'Leary plopped down hard, refusing to move. Percy stumbled, and looked nervously past her, focusing on a tall pine tree. _The_ pine tree. Peleus, wrapped leisurely around the base of the trunk, raised his head as the ground shook from the hellhound's stubborn gesture. He cocked his head to the side as he spotted Percy. Peleus seemed unfazed by the large hellhound, and since Percy wasn't too near the square of golden fleece in the tree, the dragon decided to ignore him.

Percy glared at the big, black lump of fur and walked over to sit down against her far side, hidden from the camp boundary.

...

* * *

...

Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, and Chiron all looked up when they felt the ground shake for a moment.

"What was that?" Thalia asked.

Nico rolled his eyes at her. "Probably nothing. Just ignore it."

"Let's just go outside and look, see if anything is there. Okay?" Annabeth looked to Chiron for confirmation.

He held his hands out towards the door. "After you."

...

* * *

_**Thank you all for reading! It means the world to me! As always, reviews and PMs are deeply appreciated!**_

_**much love,**_

_**imawordbender**_


	3. Chapter 3

**One Simple Request  
**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

...

**_-Three years ago-_**

Annabeth folded a grey sweater and put it neatly in the dresser drawer. She glanced one last time around her small bedroom in the apartment near the Empire State Building. She was staying here with her dad while she worked on finishing the plans and overseeing the reconstruction on Olympus. Her step-mom was still in San Francisco with the twins for the school year. Dr. Chase was working on a joint project with the history department at Columbia while Annabeth went to an all-girls day school in Manhattan and spent every night and weekend working on the architectural job of a lifetime.

Her room wasn't really that small, but it was cramped because the majority of it was occupied by a huge drafting table, covered in blue prints, weighed down with a large T-square and several different-sized triangles. She hung her favorite French curve back on its designated wall peg. She used AutoCAD for perfecting and double-checking everything, but she liked to plan her ideas and present to her clients on paper. Except for Hephaestus, who loved seeing the 3-D renderings on the laptop.

She looked around one more time to see if there was anything she could do to pass the time. Percy should have called by now. It was his turn to call, and she didn't want to start working on more blueprints, just to be interrupted a few minutes later. So she sat on the edge of her bed, smoothing down the purple comforter on either side of her legs.

She and Percy were going to hang out tomorrow afternoon at Central Park. The plan was for her to take the subway to his apartment since he lived a little closer to the park. After they ate lunch, she had an appointment on Olympus to get the go-ahead from Hermes on the plans for the final pediment on his temple. She also had an idea to add a second level of clerestory windows to Apollo's temple with some intricate vaulting that would mimic the rays of the sun once the marble was leafed in gold. The design had more English Gothic in it than Greek, but she had a feeling Apollo would love all the extra light that would shine in and the golden vaulting that would glow like miniature suns throughout the day. She walked back over to her drafting table and checked, for the tenth time, that all the plans she needed for the next day were in her leather blueprint tube.

She looked at a picture tacked to the wall from when she and Percy went ice skating at Rockefeller Center over Christmas break. He held the camera out with one hand, and had his other arm around Annabeth's neck. He was laughing and had flushed cheeks from the crisp air. Annabeth had red cheeks and snow all over her scarf and toboggan. He was laughing because she had just fallen down, again. She had tried her hardest not to smile along with Percy's infectious happiness, but he had taken the photo just as an affectionate smirk crept across her face, despite her embarrassment. She loved the picture (she'd told Seaweed Brain to delete it immediately, but instead he'd sent it to her with a Christmas card). She wrinkled her nose at the golden statue of Prometheus, unfocused in the background of the picture. She had been meaning to Photoshop that out and print a new picture.

She wouldn't admit it out loud to anyone, but she was counting down the days until camp started. There was only one more month to go, and then she could see Percy everyday, instead of just on the weekends. She was glad that Percy hadn't had any trouble at school this year, so far, and he was so close to the end. He just might defy the odds and stay at Goode high school all four years.

A knock on the bedroom door jolted Annabeth from her thoughts. She opened the door to see her dad holding out the house phone handset.

"Annabeth, it's for you." Her dad looked a little confused and she just shrugged her shoulders. Maybe Percy's ran out of drachmas again. Annabeth chuckled to herself as she took the receiver. It wouldn't be the first time; she would have to Iris message him instead. Talking on a landline wasn't as bad as a cell phone, but it still wasn't a good idea for a demigod to use it for long.

"Hello?"

"Annabeth? Hi, this is Percy's mom."

Annabeth scrunched her forehead. "Oh, um, hi, Mrs. Jackson. I mean, Blofis. Or is it Jackson-Blofis?"

"It's Jackson-Blofis. But I was calling to see if Percy was there? Or if you knew where he was?"

"Oh. No, I don't know where he is. I'm sorry."

"Well, he was asked to visit his father in Atlantis after school today, and he promised to be back before dinner. And, well, that was a few hours ago."

Annabeth could tell Sally was trying not to sound too worried. The demigod tried to reassure her boyfriend's mom. "I'll bet he either lost track of time or got held up. Either way, he's with Poseidon, so I'm sure he's fine. Most likely having a great time."

"You're probably right, dear. I'm sure he'll walk in the door any minute. I'll be seeing you over here tomorrow, right?"

"Yes ma'am, that's the plan. I should be there around ten a.m. as long as the trains aren't running too far behind." Annabeth mentally calculated what time she would need to leave in the morning.

"Sounds just fine, Annabeth. It'll be nice to see you again."

"You too, Mrs. Jackson-Blofis."

"Sally is fine dear. That double name is such a mouthful."

"Oh, okay. Goodnight, Sally. I'm sure he'll turn up any minute with a colorful explanation."

"I have no doubt," Sally chuckled. "Goodnight."

Sally ended the call, and Annabeth walked into the living room to put the handset back on the charger. Her dad looked up from the book he was marking in.

"Who was it?"

"Percy's mom. She was looking for him. I think he got held up in Atlantis."

"Oh, alright." He returned his gaze to his book.

Annabeth briefly looked around the book-lined room. "I guess I'll just go to bed."

"It's probably just as well. You have a busy day tomorrow. Good luck with the presentation. I know they'll love the plans."

"Thanks, Dad."

...

* * *

...

**_-Present day-_**

Now that the sun had fully risen, the day was beginning to warm up. Percy pushed the sleeves of his leather jacket and hoodie up to his elbows. He looked down at the dark green, almost black, tattoos wrapping around his heavily scarred forearms. The deep, jagged wounds always reminded him of whose fault this was. His eyes grew dark with anger. The sooner he got away from camp, the better.

Percy was at the top of the hill, a little ways from the pine tree. He looked at the woods which began at the bottom of the slope. If he could make a quick break for it across the open field at the top of the hill and down the side, he'd be in the clear. He crawled up his hellhound's side to peek at the camp. All he could see was a worn fence with white pickets, surrounding a strawberry field with white blossoms and bright green strawberries about to ripen. Rays from the angled morning sun splashed across a faded, wooden sign that read, "Pick your own strawberries."

He turned away in disgust. So much for coming home. He couldn't even see his old home, though it was right in front of him. It was more painful than if camp had just burned to the ground.

He wished he could just see through the godsdamned boundary so he could tell if someone were watching the clearing or not. For all he knew, there could be twenty campers just beyond the barrier, and he wouldn't be able to see or hear a single one of them. It was the worst kind of a one-way mirror. He looked impatiently at Mrs. O'Leary, who was peacefully resting with her head between her paws. "If you won't leave with me, I'll just go on my own," Percy threatened.

The hellhound whined.

"Look, staying here isn't an option for me. I need to leave, now, before anyone wakes up at camp and notices a huge, black, dump-truck-sized hellhound at the top of the hill." He pushed against her side with both hands. "Ugh. You are so stubborn. I'm going."

Percy stood up in the long grass. Even though he'd finally stopped growing somewhere around six foot four, he was still completely hidden by the oversized monster. He remained motionless, trying to see if he could sense anyone nearby, but anything he might have heard was drowned out by the loud breathing of the hellhound and the nearby dragon. He rolled his eyes at his defenselessness. Invisibility really was the best kind of weapon.

Suddenly Mrs. O'Leary picked up her head and looked in the direction of the camp. Percy jumped up reflexively, but before he could blink, his hellhound had bolted, heading for the dark woods at the bottom of the hill.

...

* * *

...

Annabeth crossed under the tall stone archway and led the way to the top of Half Blood Hill to see if something outside the boundary had caused the mini-earthquake. She neared the pine tree a few moments before Chiron, Nico, and Thalia. As soon as she crested the hill, she froze. A huge mass of black fur was racing towards the woods, and her eyes went straight to the man standing in the middle of the clearing across the boundary. She slowly raised a shaking hand to her mouth.

It was him.

He looked so different, yet, just the same. She took in every inch of him in a fleeting moment. His unruly, black hair had been cut short, but was a little longer in the front. He looked so much taller than she remembered. His jeans were almost as dark as the leather jacket hugging his broad shoulders. Her eyes widened at the sight of his muscled forearms, covered in deep, ungodly scars and sinister, snaking tattoos.

He'd never looked more amazing. Or more frightening. His piercing, sea green eyes flashed with bitter rage. She'd never seen him like that, not once in his darkest moments.

He hesitated for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes in her direction before running after the monster. He darted across the clearing and almost pitched forward as he let his momentum carry him down Half Blood Hill at a breakneck pace.

As soon as he crossed into the shadow of the woods, the other two demigods and the centaur came up behind Annabeth. Chiron put a hand on her shoulder; she gasped and jumped about a foot in the air.

Nico held up his hands. "Whoa, chill out, Annabeth, it's just us. What's got you so wound up? Did you see something?" He looked around the top of the hill and sniffed the air. "Hm...smells a bit like...the Underworld. Were there monsters?"

Annabeth held her left hand over her rapidly beating heart while she clenched and unclenched her right fist at her side. She tried, and failed, to speak a couple times before finally whispering, "It was him."

All of their eyes grew wide and Thalia shouted, "What?! For real? Okay, which way did he go?" She looked around but saw nothing. She growled, "He has some serious explaining to do if I don't just kill him on sight."

Annabeth didn't respond, but just kept staring at the spot where he'd been standing just moments before.

Nico sniffed the air again. "I think it was a hellhound. And if it was with Percy, then it was probably Mrs. O'Leary."

"Meaning, if he's running, he would have already shadow traveled away by now." Thalia slammed her fist against her thigh. "Ugh! We probably won't find him again for another three years. Godsdamnit!" She reached into her pocket and threw a celestial bronze pen to the ground. "So much for finding a clue. We just lost the quarry."

"Quit talking like it's a hunting trip, Pine Sol," Nico snapped as he folded his arms across his chest. He looked at the pen they'd stumbled across earlier that morning and then gazed across the hill. "I guess, in some ways, this might answer a few questions."

Chiron reached down and picked up the ancient weapon."Yes, Nico, but it raises so many more."

Annabeth hadn't moved from her position, but she eventually found her voice. "It was him," she repeated, "I saw him."

Chiron, Nico, and Thalia exchanged worried glances. The centaur put both of his hands gently on Annabeth's shoulders again. "Come. Let's head back to the Big House, we have much to discuss."

Annabeth shook herself free from his grasp and looked each of them in the eye. "Damn right we do. I'm calling Rachel."

...

* * *

...

Percy broke through the brush at the edge of the wood. Scraping his hands and the side of his face on some large thorns, he caught up to the hellhound who was waiting just a few hundred feet from the edge of the thick woods.

"Seriously? What in the Hades was that? Do you know what could have happened if anyone had seen me? I've been under the radar for three years, and I want to keep it that way. That was way too close," Percy ranted. "The worst part is, I don't even know if I was seen or not!" Percy punched an oak that was near him, and then grasped his hand in pain. "Damnit, I wish I were still invincible. Gods, that hurt." A branch from the tree smacked him in the back of the head. Percy scowled at the oak. "Geez, chill out, okay? We're even, now."

Percy looked at the huge hellhound as he rubbed the lump forming on the back of his head. "You know you're gonna have to shadow travel me out of here, right? You made this mess, you fix it." Percy glared at Mrs. O'Leary who hung her head. His gaze softened a little and he walked over to pat her side. "Please, can you just take me back to my campsite?" He whispered the location in her ear and hoped she could find it through the shadows on the first try. He knew she'd be worn out once she got there, but he was secretly hoping that after she rested, she'd stay with him. It was nice to see an old friend, plus it never hurt to have a several-ton monster from the Underworld on your side.

Percy stood beside Mrs. O'Leary in the dim woods and held on tightly to her fur. Percy closed his eyes and the unpleasant sensation of shadow-traveling began.

When Percy looked around again, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. She'd made it to the campsite on the first try. He looked over at Mrs. O'Leary who looked pretty unsteady on her feet. She began listing to the side Percy was standing on, and he leaped away from ground zero before he was crushed. The hellhound collapsed with a huge thud, and immediately started snoring.

Percy looked across the small, dirt clearing at his tent and watched as the tent flap was thrown back. The corner of his mouth lifted further as someone emerged from the tent, bronze knife in hand, gaping at the huge, sleeping creature.

"You're early."

...

* * *

**_Thank you again, my wonderful readers! This chapter took a little longer because I couldn't stop working on the next chapter, so look for that soon! As always, reviews and PMs are deeply appreciated!_**

**_much love,_**

**_imawordbender_**


	4. Chapter 4

**One Simple Request**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

...

**_-Three years ago-_**

Percy stood outside the entrance of a familiar, tacky lobby. He looked through the glass doors and saw hundreds of people milling around; a tall, dark-skinned man with bleach-blonde hair stood above them. Percy pushed open the double doors. The smell of stale cigarette smoke and mildew washed over him. He stepped over the threshold. Charon's head snapped up and his feverish eyes bored into Percy's. Charon flared his nostrils and shook his head once. Percy was flung backward through the doors and tugged harshly into blackness.

Pain.

Darkness.

Unrelenting pain.

Percy had no concept of time or place. Just an acute awareness of searing pain in every part of his body. He could feel cool, damp sheets under and over his body. Sometimes, he felt a something in his hand. He tried to move his fingers. His eyelids fluttered open once and he caught a glimpse of hundreds of sparkling lights.

Vivid nightmares plagued him the few times he actually slept. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like his lungs were full of water, and no matter how long the dream or how long he panicked, he could never just die. He preferred losing consciousness over sleeping. He prayed for death.

Over and over, he fought a losing battle against the fathomless shadow of unconsciousness, trying to wake up. It felt like years were passing. He began to think he was in the Fields of Punishment; his mind was fuzzy, but he thought he saw Charon a couple of times.

He began to smell things. Spices and flowers mixed together. Sometimes he was overwhelmed by pungent aromas and passed out again.

He could hear running water, and singing. Beautiful singing. Every time he heard the voice, his pain lessened. Sometimes he heard talking, but he could only make out his own name, Perseus. He was never aware enough to process any other words that were spoken.

Pain was his only constant.

At some point, he woke up as though he had only just been sleeping, which he suspected he had been. He was still in a good deal of pain, but he could open his eyes. Above him he saw a glittering crystal ceiling of purple, white, and green. His sheets were soft and they weren't damp anymore. Gauzy, white curtains rose to the ceiling around him. He didn't dare move for fear of causing more pain. He couldn't see or hear anyone near him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see long, full shelves and a tall harp. He had no idea where he was, but it felt safe, and good.

While he was trying to curl and uncurl each of his fingers with limited success, he heard some rustling to his left. He tried to turn his head, but inhaled sharply instead as the pain and stiffness prevented him from turning it much. The piercing sound of pottery shattering against the stone floor flooded his eardrums.

Someone ran to the side of his bed and knelt down. "Perseus! Oh, by the gods, you're awake," a woman's voice sobbed.

All he could see was the top of her head, covered in wavy, caramel-colored hair. The woman grabbed his left hand and pressed it to her wet cheek. "There were so many times I thought you wouldn't make it." Even though she was still crying, her familiar voice was calming.

Percy was growing tired, but he encouraged her to lift her chin with a nudge from his hand. She responded to his gesture and moved into his limited line of sight. A few more tears cascaded from her warm, brown eyes, tracing her delicate jawline and dripping onto his bare chest.

Percy closed his eyes and smiled softly. "Calypso," he breathed, as he fell back into a deep, restful sleep.

...

Percy awoke again, and this time he actually felt coherent. He could see Calypso stirring a pot over the fire on the other side of the bright, fragrant cave.

"Hey," he croaked out.

She whipped around and hurried to his side with a big smile on her face. "Someone's awake." She brushed the dark hair off of his forehead and smiled again.

"Water?" he inquired, hoarsely.

She lifted a bronze dipper from a bucket on the floor beside the bed. He savored the scent of cinnamon as she put an arm under his neck and slowly propped him up to drink. She held the dipper to his lips. "Better?" she asked as he drank.

"Much. Thank you." His smile turned into a slight grimace as she lowered him back onto the bed. Percy distracted himself with the white and silver ribbons that were woven into a braid across her head like a crown; the ribbons continued down into the thick braid that hung over her shoulder. Her cheeks tinged pink as she noticed his gaze and she engrossed herself in retying the plaited hair she held between her nervous fingers.

Percy rotated his stiff neck and looked at her; just looking at her face eased the pain some. "How long have I been out?" he asked.

Calypso looked down at him sadly as she perched on the edge of his bed. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before responding, "About two months."

"What?!" Percy shouted, "I've got to call my—" He bolted upright, or tried to, and groaned immediately as pain shot across his entire rib cage, front and back. "Ooh, ow. Okay, no sudden movements."

The sheets slipped off of Percy's bare chest and his eyes grew to the size of saucers as he looked down at his torso. His whole upper body was covered in dark green, almost black, tattoos. Percy thought they looked like vines with no leaves, or dozens of serpentine roads. From the way they roamed across his arms and chest and down his stomach, he had a feeling they covered his entire body, from head to toe. But before he could dwell on the unplanned body modification, he was distracted by the huge, jagged scars across his forearms. There were similar scars in a broken arc across his chest, stomach, and hip. The way they were sutured with crude zigzags made him feel like Frankenstein's monster.

Calypso trailed a finger gently across his palm, and then took his hand. She looked into Percy's confused, green eyes for a moment before apologizing, "I'm so sorry about the rough stitches. The skin was so torn up, it was all we could do to even close the wounds."

Percy mumbled, half to himself, "What in the Hades happened?" He looked at the goddess, his face a mixture of shock, confusion, and anger. "Can you tell me what happened?" he pleaded.

Calypso shifted on the edge of the bed to face Percy directly. She furrowed her eyebrows, pursed her lips for a moment and then began. "Well, I'll tell you as much as I know, which isn't much. You washed up here in pretty horrific shape." Calypso kept a hold of his hand as she continued. "You were practically dead; we even lost you a couple of times." She hesitated. A look of guilt flashed across her face so briefly that Percy wasn't sure he'd actually seen it. Percy squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"When you washed up on shore, I actually thought you _were_ dead. You were covered in wounds that were bleeding heavily, many some from some sort of weapon, but the worst were from a massive shark bite across your torso and both arms. The shark's teeth cut deeply into your abdomen, but your forearms helped reduce the internal damage. You lost some big chunks of skin and muscle and some of your vital organs got nicked. But that wasn't the worst damage." Calypso bit her lower lip and her eyes darted around nervously, landing everywhere, except Percy's face. She hesitated, then finally spoke, her eyes glued to her hands, "I don't know how to say this Perseus, but...y-you drowned."

The color drained from Percy's face as the memories came flooding back to him in a maelstrom of fear and panic. Atlantis. The mermen. The water in his lungs suffocating him over and over, just like his nightmares. His breathing grew more and more rapid as he replayed the event in his head.

Calypso put a soft hand on the side of Percy's face and alternately kissed his hair and shushed him to stop his hyperventilating. She lowered her head onto his shoulder and whispered into his neck, "It's okay, my hero, you're safe now. You're with me." She rubbed circles on the back of the hand she was holding until he took a long, deep breath.

Percy couldn't process anything besides one overwhelming emotion. Betrayal.

...

* * *

...

-**_Present day-_**

_Annabeth hadn't moved from her position, but she eventually found her voice. "It was him," she repeated, "I saw him."_

_Chiron, Nico, and Thalia exchanged worried glances. The centaur put both of his hands gently on Annabeth's shoulders again. "Come. Let's head back to the Big House, we have much to discuss."_

_Annabeth shook herself free from his grasp and looked each of them in the eye. "Damn right we do. I'm calling Rachel."_

...

Chiron walked slowly behind the arguing demigods as they trooped back into camp.

"Annabeth. You've tried so many times in the last three years to get a quest to find Percy, and the Oracle has said nothing. Nada. Okay? Just because you think you saw Percy doesn't mean you're going to get one now."

"What the Hades, Thals? Five minutes ago you were ranting and raving about losing him and not finding him again! Now you're doubting whether I even saw him? I _know_ what I saw."

They reached the worn, wooden steps of the Big House; Nico stopped beside Thalia. "Annabeth, just because we just found Riptide nearby, doesn't necessarily mean he was here."

"Really Nico? Now you agree with her? The one person in the world you can't _not_ bicker with?"

"Well, it's just that none of us saw him...I definitely smelled a creature from the Underworld, and it could have been Mrs. O'Leary, but she hangs around camp all the time."

"I know what I saw," Annabeth repeated. "I'm not crazy and I'm not seeing things. I had already made peace with his disappearance. I concluded he must have died and chosen rebirth, and we just missed it." She looked pointedly at the son of Hades. Nico pushed his dark hair behind his ears as he looked at the ground.

Chiron straightened the sleeves of his tweed jacket and stepped in between the arguing demigods. "Children. Enough. I know you are trying not to get your hopes up, but I believe Annabeth. She may have been a bit stunned for a moment, but she is not easily fooled or prone to imagining things. Now, I must insist that we finish this discussion in my office before the others start stirring."

All four of them piled into Chiron's office. As always, Annabeth tried to avoid the photos tacked all over the walls. Plenty of new photos had been added in the last three years, but without fail, as much as she tried to focus on counting the cassette tapes beside the ancient boom-box, she couldn't help but stare at her favorite photo: the one from three years ago, of her standing arm in arm with Percy at camp, both smiling at the camera.

Chiron folded himself into his wheelchair behind the desk while Annabeth absentmindedly perched on the edge of a cushioned chair. Thalia and Nico both aimed for the matching soft chair, but she boxed out him out and plopped into the seat. Nico crossed his arms and landed with a huff in a hard, wooden chair between the girls.

The centaur uncapped the bronze pen and laid the fully formed Riptide across his desk. He steepled his hands in front of his bearded chin and looked warily at Annabeth. She met his gaze with steely grey determination.

"Nico. Thalia. Can you tell us how you came across Percy's sword?" Chiron asked, unfazed by the daughter of Athena's expression.

Nico and Thalia looked at each other, silently asking who should tell the story. Nico gave Thalia a slight nod. "Go ahead, Sap Fingers."

Thalia flared her nostrils and ignored the jibe. "As I was saying when we first got here, Skeletor—I mean Nico—and I decided that we would look for any clues relating to Percy on the anniversary of his disappearance this year, since no one else was going to officially keep looking for him."

Annabeth directed her icy gaze at Thalia. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have been happy to come along."

"Well, like you said, you had made peace with his disappearance, or death, or whatever, and we didn't want to mess that up—"

"And he's more of a brother to us than he ever was a cousin," Nico blurted out, "and we couldn't not try to find some answers. Even if it was completely hopeless."

"It was more of a rite of remembrance than anything else," Thalia continued, "we had no hopes of actually finding anything useful."

"Yet here we are." Chiron gestured to Riptide.

"Yes. Riptide." Thalia exhaled slowly. "Nico and I were lurking around some of the nearby places that had a connection to Percy. His old apartment, the site of the last battle, the Empire State Building...you get the idea. Anyway, somewhere near his apartment, a couple of dracanae caught up to us. They chased us for two or three blocks before we reached a dead end alley and had to turn and fight."

Nico jumped in again. "We took care of them quickly, and took a shortcut through another alley to get back to where we'd been before the chase began. That's when something bronze caught my eye, wedged into the crevice of a sewer grate, like it had been there forever."

"What Nico means to say is that I saw it first and kindly pointed it out to him."

Nico rolled his eyes. "And you filched it from my pocket before running off towards camp like a crazy person."

"And you had the audacity to appear from a shadow right in the path of where I was running."

"Excuse me, your Highn—"

Annabeth held up her hands. "Guys. Enough. We get it. You both found it, and it was by pure happenstance. Right place, right time."

Chiron looked at all three demigods. "You three should know, more than most, that very little happens in our world by coincidence. Perhaps fate is a more appropriate word."

Annabeth folded her arms. "Fate or not, what I want to know is why Riptide is still here and not returning to him."

"Because he really did die? How else could it stop working?"

It was Thalia's turn to roll her eyes. "Nico! We just talked about how Annabeth really did see him."

Nico looked at Annabeth apologetically. "Right. Sorry, I forgot."

"Perhaps we should start with finding Percy, not puzzling over questions to which we don't know the answer," Chiron chimed in.

Annabeth stood up. "Like I already said, we have to get in touch with Rachel. First, we see him just outside of camp with Mrs. O'Leary, and then we find Riptide all in the same morning? I know I haven't gotten a quest out of the Oracle in three years, but I can feel it. The time is now. We're going to find him."

Chiron remained thoughtful but nodded his approval, so Annabeth marched resolutely out the door, followed closely by Nico and Thalia.

Annabeth headed toward the cabins since they had started using the fountain in Percy's old cabin for all Iris Messaging. She paused at the door to the Poseidon cabin with one hand on the knob. Thalia and Nico stood behind her and gave smiles of encouragement. She pulled a drachma out of her pocket and took a deep breath as she walked into her boyfriend's cabin.

She had come in here dozens of times since he disappeared, but she had always made a beeline for the fountain and blocked out her surroundings. She couldn't ignore it this time though as she stepped over the threshold. Everything was the same; the minotaur horn hung around the post of his bunk; the fountain bubbled in the corner. The lingering scent of the ocean breeze, which smelled just like him, wafted over her. Her heart lurched as she realized what the thick layer of dust gathered on top of his bed spread meant. It showed how long he had truly been gone. Several cobwebs stretched between the top bunks and the low ceiling. She could close her eyes and pretend he had just walked out the door, on his way to teach sword fighting, or sneak in breakfast at the last possible minute. She thought back to how he looked standing at the top of Half Blood Hill. His beautiful green eyes were so tortured, not to mention his body. Where on earth had those horrific scars come from? Let alone the tattoos. Had he lost the Curse of Achilles? How? Why wouldn't Riptide return to him? Why didn't he come to camp if he was so close? Why hadn't he come back before now?

The questions bubbled up in Annabeth's mind like the water in the fountain as she held the golden coin over the misty water. She would have to dwell on her questions later though. Right now, she had a call to make.

...

* * *

...

_Percy looked across the small, dirt clearing at his tent and watched as the tent flap was thrown back. The corner of his mouth lifted as a familiar figure emerged from the tent, bronze knife in hand, gaping at the huge, sleeping creature. _

_"You're early."_

...

Percy raised his eyebrow. "Since when is that a problem?"

She sheathed her knife in the holster slung low across her hip. "It's not a problem, I'm just wondering why. But my guess is that your Underworldly friend here was a faster way to travel than a pickup truck?" She put one hand on her hip and gestured towards the sleeping hellhound with her knife.

"Come on Cal, you know you're happy to see me." Percy smirked.

Calypso rolled her eyes and smiled at Percy as she walked across the clearing to give him a hug. "Fine. Yes, I am. But Perce, you just left the truck in Manhattan. What if we need it again?"

Percy squeezed her tight, taking care not to crush the fletching on the arrows in her quiver. He pulled out of the embrace and looked at Calypso, keeping his hands on her shoulders. Her wavy, caramel hair was braided, like always, but these days she wore well-fitted olive pants and a white cotton shirt under a brown leather jacket. Her soft, leather boots helped her move silently over any terrain. He gave her his infamous lopsided grin. "Ever the practical one, aren't you?"

She smiled back at Percy. "One of us has to be. Plus, if you take care of business first, it leaves more time for the things you actually enjoy." She gave Percy a sidelong glance.

Percy walked around Calypso and sat on a stump around the cold fire pit. "We can always get another truck, and that one was on it's last legs anyway."

She turned around to face him and crossed her arms with a huff. "True," she conceded. "We received new orders while you were gone. How did everything go?"

Percy looked at his hands as he spoke, "It was fine. I saw the tree, everything was normal."

She knelt in front of him and lifted his chin to so she could look into his intense green gaze. He could tell she saw something in his eyes. "What happened Percy? You know you can't lie to me, you're awful at it."

"Really Cal, nothing happened. I just saw my parents old building, that's all." His eyes darkened, and then shifted nervously; he couldn't look into her honest face and lie, but he could try to omit some things.

She put her hands on her hips. "Spill it. The whole truth."

Percy sighed deeply. _So much for that plan. _He looked down at his hands and hesitated before speaking, "Well...I might have, kind of, gone near Camp Half Blood."

"What?!" she screeched as her eyes grew wide, "Are you _joking_? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? What if you had been seen? Please tell me you weren't seen. He would _kill_ you."

"It wasn't my fault." He glared at Mrs. O'Leary. "_Some_one took me there without my permission." He sighed and met her eyes again. "I don't think I was seen, but I can't be sure. Also, one other little thing..."

"Spit it out, Percy."

"I lost Riptide."

"Again? Gods, Percy. We have got to find a way to keep you from losing that sword." Calypso's eyes widened and she quickly looked at the ground.

Percy's nostrils flared as watched her realize exactly what she had said, what she had carelessly pointed out. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Percy. Calm down."

"Why? Why should I calm down?" Percy exploded to his feet, almost knocking Calypso off of hers. He began pacing rapidly between the tent and the fire pit. "It's not like I can make a godsdamned thing happen," he yelled at the top of his lungs and threw his hands in the air. "Will the earth start shaking? Will waves crash and water spouts erupt? NO! You know _exactly_ why I can't hang on to that damn sword. I'm just a human. No, I'm not even that." He held his arms out and glared up at the heavens. "Well, _Dad_? Admit it! What am I to you now?" He looked back at Calypso and spoke with a deadly calm, like the eye of a storm passing over, "I'll tell you what I am. I'm nothing."

He dared Calypso to challenge his statement. All the facts were there. He was abandoned, completely, by the only family he had left. Stripped of everything that made him who he was before.

The goddess silently turned away from him and walked to the entrance of her half of the olive green tent. She looked back at the young man seated by the fire pit who had nothing but rage and pain in his eyes.

A twig snapped just outside of the clearing. Percy and Calypso both sprang into practiced action. She reached in and grabbed Percy's backup sword from his side of the tent and tossed it to him. He threw on the shoulder belt and unsheathed the celestial bronze kopis, smirking sardonically at the now familiar feel of the curved, single-edged blade. Screw Riptide, he thought, this sword was made for bloody battles.

Calypso had an arrow nocked and bowstring pulled taut. She moved closer to Percy, ready to pounce on whoever tried to enter their campsite.

Another twig snapped and Percy spotted two shadowy figures hovering near the edge of the clearing.

Percy jumped internally as Calypso suddenly called out, "I can see you both, thieves, come out now or I'll shoot you where you stand."

"Fine! We're coming out! Don't shoot us, daughter of Atlas."

_..._

* * *

**_Hello to my faithful and *very* patient readers! I know it's been so long and I apologize profusely for the wait. I just started a new job a few weeks ago, and it's been a busy time for me. I'm back on the wagon now though and rolling with the story! A prophecy awaits in the next chapter, so keep an eye out for that! I hope you all had a great holiday! : D As always, reviews and PMs are deeply appreciated! _**

**_much, much love,_**

**_imawordbender_**


	5. Chapter 5

**One Simple Request**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

...

**_-Three years ago-_**

_Calypso bit her lower lip and her eyes darted around nervously, landing everywhere, except Percy's face. She hesitated, then finally spoke, her eyes glued to her hands, "I don't know how to say this Perseus, but...y-you drowned."_

_Percy couldn't process anything besides one overwhelming emotion. Betrayal._

_..._

Calypso was frustrated, again. It was three hours past dark and Percy was still training somewhere on the island. She could hear the distant thud of metal on wood as he pulverized the sparring dummies he had fashioned earlier that day. She looked out the cave entrance one last time, past the fountain, and made up her mind. She would go get him, again.

Calypso crossed the soft, grassy meadow in front of the cave and angled to the right, through her flower garden. The moon was bright and full, and every luminescent petal of moonlace was smiling up at the stars. She smiled sadly at the flowers, which were such a bittersweet memory for her now. She picked her way through the rocks that lined the shore and led to the sandy clearing where Percy liked to practice. She secretly enjoyed watching him, even though his near-constant silence and the ferocity with which he honed his fighting skills made her lose sleep with worry.

She sat in her usual spot on a rocky outcrop to watch Percy train. In his right hand he held a curved, single-edged, celestial bronze kopis and he slashed at one of the dummies over and over. This had become their pattern almost every night for the past few weeks, yet she still couldn't help but admire his muscular body; damaged as it was, to her he was just beautiful. Calypso continued to watch as the young man backed away from the wooden dummy, ran towards a nearby boulder and leapt up, landing on the rock with one foot and then using his momentum to spring immediately into a backflip. He landed hard on both feet.

Calypso could hear his sharp intake of breath as he clutched an arm to his ribs. "You're overdoing it, again," she reminded him.

Calypso shook her head with a hand on her hip as Percy whipped around at her comment. He flared his nostrils and wiped the sweat from his face with his arm. His torso glistened from the rigorous workout, but the dark tattoos snaking across his body seemed to absorb the moonlight.

She crossed the sand and stopped in front him as he sheathed his sword in the scabbard on his shoulder belt. "Well? Think you did any new damage or just aggravating your wounds?"

"Just jarred my ribs a little. Nothing I can't handle," he grunted.

"That's just it though. Your version of 'handling' anything involves silence and beating things up."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Your point?"

She took both of his hands in her soft, small ones. "You just have to start talking sometime. Even if it's not to me. Maybe we could get in tou—"

Calypso flinched as Percy jerked away from her. "No!" he shouted. He immediately looked down sheepishly for his loud outburst and spoke more quietly, "I can't go back; I can't talk to...any of them." She looked at his face, his burning eyes a strange mixture of panic and brokenness. She held a hand against his cheek, forcing him to meet her deep, brown gaze, willing peace and calm into his tortured spirit. "You are always home when you're with me, Percy."

His face was free of emotion when he looked down at Calypso, dry-eyed. "I know."

* * *

…

**_-Present day-_**

_Annabeth headed toward the cabins since they has started using the convenient fountain in Percy's old cabin for Iris Messaging. She paused at the door to the Poseidon cabin with one hand on the knob. Thalia and Nico stood behind her and gave her smiles of encouragement. She pulled a drachma out of her pocket and took a deep breath as she walked into her boyfriend's cabin. _

_The questions bubbled up in Annabeth's mind like the water in the fountain as she held the golden coin over the misty water. She would have to dwell on her questions later though. Right now, she had a call to make. _

...

Annabeth dropped her coin into the constant rainbow created by the misty water and called out, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Please accept my offering. I need to speak with Rachel Dare, the oracle of Delphi."

The image that formed was a familiar sight: Rachel, sitting alone in a small painting studio at her art school in Rhode Island. Annabeth cleared her throat and Rachel gasped and jerked around, brandishing her paintbrush like a knife, threatening anyone that might come too close with the promise of a green face. Annabeth smirked at her old friend, who never failed to be startled by an Iris Message. Rachel laughed as soon as she met Annabeth's eyes.

"Every time, Red. Every time." Annabeth's eyes twinkled with unreleased laughter.

"Just because I got dragged into your crazy world doesn't mean it doesn't still catch me off guard sometimes, okay?" A thick lock of curly red hair came loose from the bun she had twisted around a spare paintbrush. She pushed the hair behind her ear and left a green swath of paint in her hair and on the top of her ear.

Annabeth chuckled this time and pointed to her own ear. "You got a little something right—"

Rachel put her hand to her ear. She rolled her eyes as she saw her fingers were covered in green paint. "Ugh. I'm gonna have to shower...again." She grabbed a rag to wipe some of the paint out of her hair. "Anyway, what's up AB? This is a pretty early call, even for you."

Annabeth looked down at the shell-encrusted edges of the fountain and then across the floor boards back toward the dusty, wooden bunk beds.

Rachel followed Annabeth's gaze and then looked into her friend's grey eyes with her own bright green ones. She gasped and her eyes widened. "You saw him."

It was Annabeth's turn to look surprised. "How did you know?"

"You are easier to read than you like to think. Especially when it comes to _him_. You have to tell me everything."

Annabeth recounted the whole morning for Rachel: the fleeting glimpse of Percy at the top of the hill, Nico and Thalia's appearance, the discovery of Riptide in the alley, everything right up to the conversation in Chiron's office.

Rachel shook her head in disbelief. "Well, now I know that you didn't call just to catch up. You sure you want to try again? What if the same thing happens again?"

"Too much has happened already. The Fates are at work in this. It's only logical," Annabeth rationalized.

"If there's one thing I've learned as the oracle, it's that logic has very little to do with anything."

"Just let me try."

Rachel sat back in her chair and nodded at her friend.

Annabeth gripped the edge of the fountain and took a deep breath. "How do I find Percy Jackson?"

Nothing happened immediately. Rachel raised a questioning eyebrow at Annabeth. Then, without warning Rachel's arms went limp and her head fell back. Green smoke began filling the studio. Annabeth instinctively drew her knife and backed away as the green smoke started to pour out of the fountain too, covering the floor of the cabin.

Annabeth tripped and fell backwards as a hundred ghostly voices spoke as one from Rachel's slowly moving lips:

_Seed of death and mind and sky  
__Will hear the mortal hero's cry  
__In westward ruined mountain throne  
__For faithless love that ends alone  
__Clever doubts and broken falls  
__And oceans' son betrays them all  
__The truth unveiled, all ties let go  
__By knowing slave to dormant foe  
__The only hope is gambled fate  
__Or else return to ancient state_

The cabin door flew open as Nico and Thalia burst into the room. Annabeth looked up from where she'd fallen on the floor. She could see Rachel beginning stir through the IM, though her movements were still sluggish.

"Annabeth! We saw green smoke coming from the bottom of the door. What happened? What kind of a prophecy was that?" Thalia demanded as she grabbed Annabeth's arm and helped her up.

As she stood up, Annabeth muttered the prophecy to herself to ensure she'd memorized it.

Nico strode over to the fountain and peered into the mist. "Rachel, you good?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said shakily before looking at Annabeth. "How was it? What did it say?"

Thalia, Nico, and Rachel all looked expectantly at Annabeth. The wheels in her mind were turning furiously, analyzing every possible meaning. She shook her head abruptly as she met her friends' inquisitive glances. "It doesn't sound too good."

"They never do. Out with it," Thalia snapped back.

Annabeth recited the ten lines perfectly.

The silence that lingered once she finished was broken by a voice in the rainbow mist. "This is really interesting and all, but I'm going to need another drachma if you want to keep this connection open." A translucent image of Iris' face appeared in the colorful mist.

"Oh, sorry Iris! I'll talk to you later about this, okay AB?" Rachel's image started fading as Annabeth nodded her agreement. Rachel called out before the connection was severed, "Be careful! And don't make any assumptions!"

Annabeth looked at the image of the rainbow goddess. "Thanks Iris. Sorry about all the smoke."

"Eh, I've seen weirder things come through messages. At least this stuff was organic!" Her face shimmered in the rainbow and then disappeared. "Until next time!"

The three demigods said goodbye to Iris's disembodied voice and then looked at one another. Annabeth spoke up first. "We'll the three of us better get back up to the Big House and tell Chiron.

They walked back up to the old, blue house and knocked on the door to Chiron's office.

"Come in." Chiron was still seated behind his desk, deep in thought.

Annabeth stared at him until he looked up. "I got it."

Chiron smiled sadly and gestured for them to sit. They returned to their seats from before and Annabeth recited the prophecy again. Once she was done, Chiron sighed. "Well some of it is very clear, but much is puzzling and very troubling."

"Well the first line is easy. 'Seed of death and mind and sky' That's us, seeds or offspring of death, mind, and sky, so to speak." She looked at Nico and Thalia who had shock all over their faces.

Nico was the first to get over his shock at being chosen for the quest. "Okay, so we are the three chosen for the quest. And we are clearly heading to Mt. Othrys, the 'westward ruined mountain throne,'" Nico added.

"Wait, what about the mortal hero's cry?" Thalia asked.

Chiron steepled his hands again. "Let's focus on what is clear at the moment."

Annabeth folded her arms. "Well, that's probably all that is absolutely clear right now, without a heavy dose of inferring."

"I don't know." Thalia leaned forward in the plush chair. "'Oceans' son betrays them all' sounds awfully clear to me."

"Well, let's finish it line by line. We don't know of a mortal hero, at least not yet, maybe it's someone we will meet at Mt. Othrys, but it's very odd for a human to be involved in this." A few of the others nodded in agreement. "Then there's the line referring to Mt. Othrys. Then 'For faithless love that ends alone.' It could mean so many things. Is the love faithless? Or is it a person? What does 'end' mean? There's not enough information available to interpret those lines," Annabeth reasoned.

Nico chimed in again, "The next line has me stumped. 'Clever doubts and broken falls'? How can a doubt be clever? And a broken—what?—falls? A broken waterfall? Something falling? Ugh. Stupid oracle, it's like she's being vague on purpose."

"True answers about fate will never be handed to you on a platter, Nico. We must journey through the decisions ourselves to truly learn our part in the fabric of destiny."

"And, it will become clearer once we have more information," Annabeth reminded them.

"Yes, okay. But still, 'oceans son betrays them all' sounds really bad," Thalia repeated. "Should we risk our lives to take part in this quest to find Percy? Will he even be on our side?"

"Are you kidding me, Thals? This is Percy, his _fatal_ flaw is loyalty. Meaning, he's so loyal it could kill him. I can't believe you'd even question that." Nico scowled at the daughter of Zeus.

"Hey, don't get your skeletons in a wad. I'm just addressing what the prophecy clearly stated."

Annabeth remained silent as Nico and Thalia looked across the wooden desk to see what Chiron's thoughts might be.

"Whatever it may mean, you must all tread carefully and stay alert. Sometimes the smallest details can reveal the greatest secrets."

Nico quirked his mouth to one side and furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "You know, you should really write a book of impressive sounding quotes or something. You could make millions."

Chiron rolled his eyes while Thalia smacked the son of Hades on the back of the head. "Nico! This is serious!"

He threw his hands up. "What? You never know when you'll happen upon a multi-million dollar idea! You have to keep an eye for these things."

Annabeth also rolled her eyes, but couldn't help it as the side of her mouth lifted in a smirk at the pair's antics. She caught Chiron's warm, but worried gaze directed at her.

"Well, we know that by the end the 'truth' will be 'unveiled' and that there is a 'dormant foe,' so perhaps it's a monster we haven't seen much of lately?"

"And that this foe has a 'knowing slave'..." Chiron trailed off.

Thalia plowed on. "What is the ancient state that we are threatened with? Anyone know? And everything is hinged on a gamble? That sounds...risky."

"That's what a gamble is, genius..." Nico muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Thalia. He quickly brought his hand to the back of his head defensively, then tried to play it off by smoothing out his hair. Thalia just smirked evilly.

Annabeth ignored the bickering children of Zeus and Hades. "Chiron, do you have any thoughts about what this 'ancient state' is? There are so many aspects and ways of life that were present in ancient times that have changed over the millennia. You would know better than any of us."

Chiron paused before responding. "I need to know more before I even venture a guess. I dare say, I fear the consequences if we were to presume anything at this point. Annabeth—no—all of you, you must try to figure out this last line at all costs. You will be in a better position than I to gather intelligence. I know you will get to the bottom of it; I have no doubt."

Annabeth nodded resolutely at Chiron's charge. "Looks like we have some plane tickets to buy." She pulled out her Head Counselor's camp credit card. "Percy, we're going to find you and bring you back home."

* * *

...

**_-Present day-_**

_Calypso had an arrow nocked and bowstring pulled taut. She moved closer to Percy, both ready to pounce on whoever tried to enter their campsite._

_Another twig snapped and Percy spotted two shadowy figures hovering near the edge of the clearing. _

_Percy jumped internally as Calypso suddenly called out, "I can see you both, thieves, come out now or I'll shoot you where you stand."_

_"Fine! We're coming out! Don't shoot us, daughter of Atlas."_

…

Two creatures lumbered out from the edge of the forest surrounding the campsite. Percy had seen plenty of strange creatures in his life, but this pair still surprised him. They had looked to be half man, half ape, with green fur covering scattered patches of their blue skin. Their long arms dragged on the ground and their backs were hunched over, but their darting, observant eyes spoke of anything but slow minds.

Percy raised an eyebrow at Calypso. They clearly knew who she was, or at least that she was the titan's daughter, but did she know them?

She lowered her bow, but kept an arrow on the string. Percy took her cue and lowered his sword but didn't put it away.

"Greetings Akmon, Passalos." She nodded to both of them. "To what do we owe this visit from the Cercopes?" She asked them coolly.

"'To whom and to why' is the riddle says I!" Akmon, the stockier of the two, exclaimed as he cartwheeled into a handstand in front of the tent.

Passalos jumped up and stood on top of his brother's feet with precise balance and folded his blue arms across his hairy, green chest. Looking down at Percy and Calypso, he tried to clarify. "To the one that you know. Do you still need your bow?"

This time, Percy raised both eyebrows at the strange, acrobatic ape-men. "What does _that_ mean? Speak plainly," he demanded.

"No, no! The stupid swine broke the rhyme!" Akmon huffed from his upside-down position.

"Peace brother, another chance we'll give. If he rhymes well, then we might let him live!" Passalos brandished a wicked looking dagger.

Percy opened his mouth to retort but Calypso gave him a hard look and shook her head almost imperceptibly. Percy was more than happy to oblige and stay quiet; mind games gave him a headache.

Calypso shifted her bow and arrow into one hand and planted the other on her hip as she faced the Cercopes. "A message you have, for him or for me. So go on, spit it out, we have places to be."

"Oh, I knew she'd have brains and some good rhymes to spare, and they all complement her thick, braided hair." The stocky Cercope, still upside-down, waggled his eyebrows at the goddess.

Percy might hate rhyming but he understood a line like that when he heard it. He glared at the pair and caught the light with his sword, just to remind these creatures that he was still armed and dangerous.

Akmon pumped his legs up, propelling his brother into a flip. Akmon flipped upright while Passalos landed on his feet next to him and spoke."Protective, I see. It's just such a shame. These poor, tragic heroes all end up the same." He winked at Calypso.

The color drained from Calypso's face as she tapped an arrow against her leg to get their attention. "This is all utter nonsense. Your message. The contents," she demanded.

This time, Akmon jumped up onto Passalos' shoulders before speaking. "Master bids you both back to base and be quick. His patience is thin—"

"But his waistline grows thick!" Passalos interrupted with glee. Both Cercopes howled with laughter until Akmon fell off of his brother's shoulders.

As they laughed, Percy chanced a question. "Wait, you work for—" he began, but Calypso kicked him in the shin to shut him up. He flared his nostrils and glared at her, but tried not to say anything else, in case the strange monkey-men attacked him for not speaking in rhyme or riddles or whatever. Gods, was he tired of dealing with these weird Greek myths and creatures. Maybe he should just get out of this world completely while he still had the chance. He was just a regular human now, he could leave it all behind and live a normal life. But, even as betrayed as he felt by his own kind, by his own family, that would also mean leaving Calypso and he wasn't sure he was ready to do that. Immortal or not, the Cercopes were right, he _did_ feel very protective of her, which of course was laughable, at best. He was just a weak, mortal human.

Percy was broken from his thoughts as Calypso pulled a second arrow from her quiver and nocked them both, one pointed at the heart of each monster. "Okay, we played your game long enough. Now begone. If you make it back to Xander before us, tell him we're on our way." The creak of her bow echoed through the quiet clearing as she drew the bowstring back to her cheek.

The Cercopes stood side by side and narrowed their beady, black eyes at Calypso. Percy stepped up beside her with his sword poised to strike and growled at the monsters.

"No need to threaten us, fallen goddess," Passalos replied. Percy quirked an eyebrow at his turn of phrase.

"And no need to ruin the fun either." Akmon pouted.

"We will carry your message, though you will likely make it there before us. Master has arranged for your travel." He laid two airline tickets gently on the ground. "Until next time, lovely siren." Passalos winked and bowed and pulled his brother, who was puckering his blue lips at Calypso, along with him. Together they somersaulted over the brush at the edge of the woods and disappeared into the forest shadows.

Percy was still fuming at their behavior towards his companion. "What the Hades, Calypso? There's no way they work for Xander too."

"Yes. They do. They are seldom at headquarters though, and harmless enough."

"If they so much as look at you like that again, I'll slit their throats."

Calypso's eyes darkened at the same time her cheeks turned red. "Percy. Calm down. They're fine, just annoying mostly. And they're monsters, they'd come back eventually, with a chip on their shoulders."

He gave her a doubtful look. "If you say so. Still, they'd be gone 'til I was long dead."

"Percy, please don't talk like that. You know I don't like it."

"What? It's just true. You're immortal, I'm not. It's a simple fact."

"Well, maybe it doesn't have to always be that way," Calypso mumbled under her breath.

"Huh? What'd you say?"

"Nothing, Percy," she sighed. "Let's just get to the airport, okay?"

Percy looked nervously at the airline tickets, still lying on the ground.

"It'll be okay, Percy."

He nodded and moved to start packing up their camp, shaking thoughts of flying from his mind for now. Calypso started untying the tent stake opposite of the one he was working on and together they made short work of it. Everything packed down into two hiking backpacks, with their weapons hidden inside the framing. Percy couldn't help but admire how capable Calypso was, a very different person from who he thought she was when they first met. Back then she was sad, lonely, and trapped. Still capable, but in a very domestic sense. Now she was showing her true colors, fierce and adventurous, yet he didn't know why she didn't act like the goddess she was. She had been unsure of her powers ever since she left the island with him. She claimed her powers only came from the island, because that's what she was the goddess of, and since she was away from it, her powers were greatly diminished. Whether that were true or not, Percy wasn't sure, but he did know that she absolutely underestimated herself. He wanted to change that.

Calypso interrupted his train of thought once more. "Well, that's everything. What do you want to do about your dog?" She gestured at the still-sleeping form of Mrs. O'Leary, half hidden in the shadows at the edge of the clearing.

He mentally kicked himself for almost forgetting about her. Percy's mind automatically rebelled at the thought of leaving his old companion, but he knew that she couldn't come with them. Not where they were going. It broke his heart to leave her, but he knew he had to. Besides the logistics, he wasn't sure he could handle a constant reminder of his old life. He had to be content with his new lot in life, and dwelling on the past wouldn't help that.

"Just let her keep sleeping. She'll wander back to camp eventually, or the nearest butcher shop." He smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry she can't come with us, Percy."

"Me too."

He turned and starting walking into the woods, with Calypso right behind him. They would walk to the nearest town and rent a car. From there they would drive to Albany International Airport to catch their flight to San Francisco. This would be the true litmus test, his first flight since the incident. If he could fly across the country in Zeus' territory with no consequences, then he truly was no longer a demigod, no longer a son of Poseidon. He balled his fists, flexing his scarred and tattooed forearms, the mark of his downfall.

They had no trouble driving to the airport and getting their bags through security (with a little Mist manipulation from Calypso). Percy kept bouncing his leg as they waited to board. Finally heir zone was called and they headed down the jetway. Calypso kept a hand on Percy's arm to give him some moral support. He knew that she understood exactly what this flight would mean for him. Percy paused at the doorway and looked at the asphalt-covered ground through the small gap between the jetway and the plane.

The stewardess standing just inside the aircraft looked at him."Sir?" she encouraged.

He took a deep breath and stepped across the gap, onto the airplane.

"You two on vacation?" the stewardess asked with a smile as they walked past.

Percy turned to answer, "Um, no, we're heading home."

* * *

_**Hello my dearest and most wonderful readers. My utmost apologies for the time it took to post this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait! The next one should come faster as the holidays are over and it's part way written. Thank you so much for your patience and your loyalty to my story! Reviews and PMs are always deeply appreciated and I respond to every one of them! **_

_**much love,**_

_**-imawordbender**_


End file.
